2000
#11,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,594
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Wendland
A habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Wendland, likely meaning "land of the Wends."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,752 Americans carry the last name Wendland. That puts it at #12,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,547 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wendland surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 124,547
Census rank
#12,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,400 bearers of the surname Wendland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wendland
The surname Wendland is of German origin, derived from the region of Wendland in Lower Saxony, Germany. This region was historically inhabited by the Slavic Wends, and the name likely refers to someone who hailed from this area or had some association with it.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in various medieval documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a Henricus de Wendlande in a land registry from the year 1289.
During the late Middle Ages, the Wendland region was part of the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, and the name Wendland appeared in several chronicles and annals from this period, often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or influence within the local nobility or clergy.
In the 16th century, the name Wendland can be found in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. Several merchants and traders with the surname Wendland were involved in the lucrative trade routes of the Hanseatic League.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Wendland was Johann Wendland (c. 1490-1559), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of Protestantism in the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg.
Another notable figure was Caspar Wendland (1584-1638), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Helmstedt and authored several influential works on legal theory and practice.
In the 18th century, Johann Christoph Wendland (1755-1828) was a renowned German botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification. He served as the director of the Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover and published numerous works on botany.
In more recent history, Heinz Wendland (1914-1998) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He served as the Minister-President of Lower Saxony from 1976 to 1986.
Throughout its history, the surname Wendland has also been associated with various places and geographical features in the Wendland region, such as the town of Lüchow-Wendland and the Wendland Nature Park, further reinforcing its origins and connection to this area of Lower Saxony.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wendland
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wendland bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Wendland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,220
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 81
- Two or more races2.6% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wendland
Wendland appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,728
+134 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 322 places
2020
#12,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,400
-328 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 831 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,207 | 2,594 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,529 | 2,728 | 0.92 | +134 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 322 places |
| 2020 | #12,360 | 2,400 | 0.80 | -328 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 831 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Wendland surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,529 | #12,360 | -7.2% |
| Count | 2,728 | 2,400 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.80 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wendland bearers went from 2,728 to 2,400 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 831 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,529 to #12,360.
FAQ
Wendland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wendland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,752 living Americans carry the surname Wendland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,547 residents.
How common is Wendland?
Wendland ranks #12,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,400 people with the surname Wendland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,752), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wendland.
Has Wendland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wendland went from 2,728 recorded bearers to 2,400. That is a decrease of 328 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,529 to #12,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Wendland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wendland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wendland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wendland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Wendland (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Wendland mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Wendland, likely meaning "land of the Wends." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Wendland (0.80 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Wendland?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wendland, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.